Ethiopia accuses Eritrea of torturing and deporting 166 citizens

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

October 12, 2008 (ADDIS ABABA) — Ethiopia on Saturday accused arch-foe Eritrea of brutally torturing and deporting 166 Ethiopians, the Ministry of Information said.

In its statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said, Eritrean security forces have detained and tortured the Ethiopians for the last 4 months by seizing them at a detention center near Batsee town,in a place locally called “Wi’a” before deporting them home.

The Ethiopians which include 17 children and 62 women arrived home on Thursday through the northern Tigray’s Rama front.

The Ethiopians were first deported by the Egyptian government to the hands of Eritrean authorities on June 14, 2008, Addis Ababa said, adding Ethiopian government has began investigating to why the Egyptian government has handed over the Ethiopians to Eritrea.

The repatriation of Ethiopian and Eritrean nationals has been undertaken through the norms of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the statement said; “the abusive deportation of Ethiopians by the Eritrean security forces is a clear violation to international law.”

1998-2000 Deadly border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has cost the lives of 70,000 people.

(ST)